'Immigrant' Superman film raises hackles on the right

Director James Gunn's comments about the legendary superhero's origins and values have rankled conservatives who embrace the Trump administration's strict anti-immigrant agenda

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 02: James Gunn attends the "Superman" Fan Event in London's Leicester Square on July 02, 2025 in London, England.
'Superman is the story of America,' Gunn said
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's — another Superman movie, the latest in a long line of cinematic attempts to translate comicdom's most iconic hero into popcorn fodder for the summer masses. But where Superman once stood as the embodiment of "truth, justice and the American way," director James Gunn's latest interpretation of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's 1938 genre-defining creation has now rankled ultra-nationalist conservatives.

The filmmaker stressed the character's canonical origins and intrinsic character traits in an interview last week with The Times. "Superman is the story of America," Gunn said. "An immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost."

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.